A New Guardian
by 100gamesvictor
Summary: Alice meets Wavern in 'Trust Me' and is freed from Masquerade. A whole chain of events follow that will change the course of the entire series.
1. Chapter 1

**This is just something I thought of while watching the episode Trust Me. Season 1 is my favorite season and Alice is my favorite character, along with Julie. This is just my take on what I wish would have happened. BTW, I switched around some of the episode orders. NOthing major changes though.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan or any of the characters.**

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Alice sat alone in Runo's bedroom. The blackout that she recovered from only moments before was giving her a pounding headache. She sat in the dark room and tried to recall what has occurred while she was out of it. As best she could recall, she had come into the room to take a nap, a wave of dizziness overcame her. After that, her memory became blurry though she remembered stumbling over to the bed before everything faded to black.

Suddenly, a bright rainbow colored glow engulfed the room. Alice had to shield her eyes as the sphere of light got closer to her. The brightness dimmed slightly and Alice cautiously moved her hand away from her eyes. In front of her was a glowing bakugan. It emitted a pulsing wave of energy and Alice could instinctively tell she was seeing Wavern.

"Hello Alice," Wavern's voice rung. There seemed to be an undertone of sadness in her voice. "You have been touched by the Silent Core."

Alice stuttered at this. "Wh—what do you me—mean?"

Wavern sighed. "The Silent Core infected you, and you do not even realize it. I shall cure you of its taint." With that, the light shone brighter and surrounded Alice. A warmth flooded through her entire body as memories washed through her head. Going to see her grandfather and being infected by Masquerade. Fighting different brawls and sending bakugan to the Doom Dimension. Speaking with Hal-G and Naga. All of it washed through her head in a burst of knowledge.

Alice felt suddenly weak and fell back onto the bed, barely keeping herself aloft with her arms. "Oh no. What have I done?"

"Fear not," Wavern spoke. "It was not you who committed those acts. It was Naga working through Masquerade. You were not responsible for any of those acts."

"But I was," Alice sobbed. "I hurt all those people."

"No, that was Naga." The firmness in Wavern's voice made Alice cease her sobbing.

"Nevertheless, I'll never play bakugan again. I can't hurt anyone else," Alice resolved.

The kindness seemed to have left Wavern's voice as an incredulous tone took over. "What good would that do anyone? Alice Gehabich, you are one of the Bakugan Battle Brawlers and the best strategist they have. They need you to defeat Naga."

_They need me? _Alice couldn't remember the last time someone needed her. It was a concept that she had never even considered. She wasn't a battler. The others worked on strategies just fine. What could they possibly need her for?

"Hehehe." A chuckle rang ominously through the room. "So Wavern," the deep voice rumbled, "you think you can defeat me by removing my best brawler? Think again."

Black lightning crackled around the room and surrounded Alice. She could feel the negative energy around her though she wasn't affected by it. It seemed almost as if it was drawing something out of her. When the lightning diminished, standing across the room from her was none other than Masquerade.

"Hello Master Naga," he said respectfully before throwing a smirk toward Alice. Alice's eyes widened in terror as she moved farther into the bed. The smirk on Masquerade's face grew as he stalked toward her. He reached into his pocket and his smirk froze. It slid off his face as he said "What? How is that possible?"

"I cleansed everything of negative energy," Wavern replied. "Even your bakugan. It seems you'll have to find new ones. Now leave this place at once." With that, a pulse of energy erupted from Wavern and Masquerade as well as the negative energy disappeared.

"Take them," Wavern spoke softly. She seemed to look over to the dresser. "They are yours." The light faded and Alice was alone.

"Oh my god," Alice gasped. "I can't believe all that I've done. How could I do that to so many people? I stole their bakugan." Alice broke down into sobs once again.

"Do not cry, Alice." Alice looked toward the sound of the voice. Tears streamed down her face as she searched for the source of the sound. However, as it was still dark in the room, the blinds closed, she couldn't make out who had spoken. "It is not your fault."

The figure came closer and Alice could make it out to be a bakugan. The small ball-shaped creature seemed to have two small dragon heads on it. As it got close enough, Alice could tell that it was a darkus bakugan. It came up close so that it was face-to face with Alice. "If anything," the bakugan said, "the fault is mine for becoming so destructive."

"Hydranoid," Alice whispered. Even in the silence her voice was barely audible. She looked at the bakugan. Though she had never seen him in person—that she remembered anyway—she could identify him on sight. There didn't seem to be any dark aura that Dan and the others so often described around him. Though Alice could tell that, even if there was, she would still trust him.

"Darkus Dual Hydranoid," he confirmed.

"You can't blame yourself," Alice whispered. "It was my fault. You were just doing as you were told."

"So were you," Hydranoid countered. "So how about this, I won't blame myself if you do the same. Deal?"

Alice looked at him and all she could do was nod. Something in her—perhaps the aftereffects of the positive energy—could tell that her friends would need her soon. So, she rose to her feet shakily before walking over to the dresser. Alice picked up some gate cards and grabbed Darkus Centipoid and Robotallion. She turns back to Hydranoid, who was hovering a few feet behind her, and said "Are you ready to go?"

Hydranoid nodded and the two of them walked out of the room and out of the house. Along the way, Alice worries about how she will fare as a battler but decides that she would worry about that after she made sure her friends were alright.

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**So what do you think? Love it? Hate it? Tell me your thoughts in reviews!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Okay, so this is the second installment of A New Guardian. This one is almost entirely a battle. I apologize if it is terrible, but I need it in there. Tell me what to do to make it better in reviews.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Bakugan**

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Alice walked around the neighborhood under the pretense of buying groceries. She went from stall to stall getting what she needed for the café while keeping an eye out for any of the others. Hydranoid was hiding on her shoulder, a wall of hair masking him from view.

So Dan," Alice heard Runo say. She was about to turn around and talk to them when she heard Runo continue. "The spy. Who do you think it is?"

"Well," Dan spoke. "If I had to guess, I say Alice could contact Masquerade the easiest, what with her grandfather being Hal-G and all."

Alice sucked in a sharp breath. _Oh no, _she thought. _Now Dan suspects me too and won't trust me anymore. _Alice barely heard as Hydranoid growled on her shoulder. As her two friends' voices faded, Alice asked the salesman to watch her basket before taking off after the two.

Alice knew that she had to talk to them. She had to explain everything that happened to her if she ever wanted them to trust her again but first she had to find them! The two of them were probably off somewhere talking about the spy, and Alice knew that she was the one that had unknowingly been relaying information to Masquerade, but she still wanted her friends to trust her. Besides, now that Masquerade was out of her, she wanted to help her friends. She could only do that if they trusted her.

Up ahead, a standoff was taking place between Runo, Dan, and three other brawlers. They seemed to be arguing and, when they pulled out their cards to open a field, Alice let out a gasp and said "NO!"

She held out her card and cried "Gate Card, Open!" It glowed bright purple and Alice was pulled into the field along with the others. The world shifted around her. The city faded away and was replaced with swirls of different colors. As everything set into place, Alice stood next to Dan and Runo.

"Alice!" they cried in unison.

Alice looked at the two of them and said "Listen, I'm not the spy. I'm proud to be one of the Battle Brawlers and if I have to battle to show it then I will!"

The two brawlers glanced at each other before Runo hesitantly said "But, how are you going to bettle without any bakugan?"

Alice smiled slightly and said "Leave that to me." She turned to face the three opponents and said "So help me out here. Who are they?"

"Well," Dan said, "The big buy is Shuji. The little one is Akira. The girl is their sister Nene. They're the ones that challenged us."

"Okay," Alice muttered. Her fingers twitched from the tension. After all, this was her first battle. She had to do well.

"Hey," the little girl's shrill voice called. "Are we gonna battle or what? Gate Care…Set!" Nene's card went soaring through the air and landed, expanding with a green glow.

In unison, Alice along with the other players yelled "Gate Card…Set!" and threw their cards onto the field. They all grew to enlarged sizes and the battle begun.

"I'll start," Runo called. "Bakugan Brawl! Griffon Stand!" Runo's Haos Griffon: 320 g's landed on the battlefield and grew to its full size. The white winged lion waited in the air for an opponent.

Nene seemed to be telling them what to do as she whispered to Shuji. After a moment, he yelled "Bakugan Brawl! Gargonoid Stand!" Shuji's Darkus Gargonoid: 340 g's landed on a gate card across the field from Runo's Griffon.

"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "Are we gonna battle or what? I wanna play!"

Alice looked at her friend worriedly. Charging into battle thoughtlessly wouldn't help them win. They needed strategies. She was about to tell Runo this when Tigrerra beat her to it.

"My lady," Tigrerra began, "This will give us time to think of a strategy. Be patient."

"My turn!" Dan called out. He scanned the field for a moment before grabbing his bakugan. "Bakugan Brawl! Siege Stand!" Pyrus Siege: 370 g's entered the battle on an open gate card and waited for an opponent to make a move.

"Bakugan Brawl!" Akira shouted. "Centipoid Stand!" The Subterra Centipoid: 360 g's stood on Siege's gate card and the battle began. "Ability Card…Activate! Attractor!" Akira shouted this and a fissure appeared in the ground below Shuji's Gargonoid. It fell through and reappeared next to Centipoid.

"Not two at once!" Dan yelled, frustration lacing his voice. He glared at Akira and Shuji before turning back to the battle.

"Then we'll do the same," Runo replied. "Ability Activate! Cut in Saber!" Runo's Tigrerra: 340 g's was suddenly next to Siege. Dan's gate card opened to further increase their power and the battle ensued. Tigrerra and Siege slashed and stabbed at Centipoid and Gargonoid before they succumbed to the attacks and fell to the ground, glowing orange and purple before returning to their ball forms. Tigrerra and Siege returned to Runo and Dan. Now, it was Alice's turn.

"Bakugan Brawl! Robotallion Stand!" The Darkus Robotallion: 370 g's landed on a gate card adjacent to Runo's Griffon. Alice took a deep breath and waited for a battle to start.

"Alice," Runo hesitantly asked. "Where did you get bakugan?" Alice opened her mouth to reply, but thought that the story would take too long for her to tell in the middle of the battle. So instead, she said "I'll tell you everything later. I promise."

"Bakugan Brawl!" Nene shouted. "Ventus Ravenoid Stand!" Ventus Ravenoid: 370 g's stood on a gate card across from Robotallion. "Ability Activate! Blow Away!" A gust of wind blew Robotallion onto Ravenoid's card.

Alice looked on in horror as her Robotallion was blasted to a different card. "Gate Card," Nene yelled, "Open! Energy Merge!" Everyone's bakupods robotic voices said "_100 g's transferred from Darkus Robotallion to Ventus Ravenoid!"_

Dan looked up from his bakupod and said "Alice, you're in trouble!"

Alice took a deep breath before yelling "Ability Activate! Grande Down! That move nullifies your gate card Nene! We're at equal strength!" And sure enough, the battle came to a draw and the two bakugan returned to their owners unharmed.

"Wow Alice," Dan said, impressed. "Where'd you learn that?"

"Never mind that," Runo shouted. "Gate Card Set! Bakugan Brawl! Tuskor Stand!" Haos Tuskor: 350 g's entered the field on the new gate card.

"Bakugan Brawl! Stinglash Stand!" Darkus Stinglash: 360 g's entered the battle on Griffon's gate card.

"Gate Card Open!" Runo called. "Quartet Battle! Now the battle will only begin when two more bakugan are added to the brawl."

Bakugan Brawl! Robotallion Stand!" Alice called. She looked over the battlefield and worried what would happen.

"Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Ravenoid Stand!"

"Oh no," Alice muttered as she watched the battle. Ravenoid and Stinglash were pounding Griffon and Robotallion. After the final hit, the two bakugan were taken out.

"Why," Runo screeched, turning to face Alice, "did you send in a bakugan when Dan could have sent Drago in? Now we lost two bakugan!"

"Hey Runo," Dan called. "Leave her alone. We'll still win. Now let's _do_ this! Bakugan Brawl! Warius Stand!" Pyrus Warius: 360 g's entered the battle.

Akira seemed to chuckled ominously. "Gate Card, Set! Bakugan Brawl! Manion Stand!" Subterra Manion: 350 g's was on the new gate card.

Alice saw an opening to take out the bakugan so she took it. "Bakugan Brawl! Centipoid Stand!" Darkus Centipoid: 370 g's landed on Manion's gate card. Akira laughed out loud and said "Gate Card Open! Triple Battle!" Shuji's Darkus Stinglash entered the battle. Their combined power level was 720 g's

"Oh no, Alice" Dan said, "It looks like you're on your own."

"Don't worry Dan," she said cheerfully, making them both turn to look at her. "I've got it all figured out. Ability Activate! Spiced Assault!" The bakupods all said "_Power surge detected. Darkus Centipoid increase by 200 g's while Subterra Manion and Darkus Stinglash each decrease by 100 g's. Total power level for Manion/Stinglash is 520 g's while Centipoid is stable at 570 g's."_

Dan looked at Alice in awe as Centipoid took down both bakugon at once. "Where did you learn that?" Alice looked at Dan and giggled. "I said I'll tell you later."

"Bakugan Brawl! Ventus Bee Striker Stand!" Ventus Beestiker: 310 g's landed on Warius' card. "Ability Activate! Sky Blast!" The mechanical voice spoke _"Bee Striker increase of 100 g's while Warius g-power decrease of 50 g's."_

"Oh no!" As his bakugan was defeated, he yelled "Warius!"

Nene caught her Bakugan and said "this isn't over yet!"

"Gate Card, Set!" Runo yelled as she threw down a gate card. Her Haos Tigrerra stood on the gate card.

Shuji glared around the field before landing on his target. "Bakugan Brawl! Laserman Stand!" Darkus Laserman: 380 g's landed on Tuskor's gate card and the two began battle. "Ability Activate! Add-on! Now each of our teammates has to throw in one of their bakugan to join the battle. Hehe."

Alice threw in her Centipoid and Dan threw in his Seige. The two watched with Runo in horror as Laserman, Ravenoid, and Centipoid overpowered their three bakugan.

"This is bad," Dan said. "Now we each only have one bakugan left. What are we gonna do?"

_What are we gonna do? _Alice thought to herself. What they really need was for two of the bakugan to be on the field. Then hydranoid could take them out from afar. But how were they supposed to get the bakugan they needed onto the field?

"Guys," Alice said hesitantly. "Your need to get some of their bakugan onto the field. I can beat them but their bakugan have to be out there. Dan," she looked at him intently. "Can you get even one of them out there?"

Dan thought over the request for a moment before nodding. "I got it. Ready Drago?" At the bakugan's okay, Dan threw him into battle.

"What are you planning, Alice?" Runo muttered. She glared suspiciously at the girl. Since when was she such a good battler? Never mind that, _since when did she have bakugan? _This wasn't adding up.

"Just trust me."

"Ability Activate! Magnetic Pyrus!" Suddenly, Ventus El Condor: 340 g's was on an empty card.

"Hey!" Nene screeched. "What was that for?"

Dan chuckled at her distress. "Sorry, I needed to do that. You see, Magnetic Pyrus is an ability card that draws any bakugan I want into the battle and places them wherever I choose. So now your bakugan's on the playing field."

"Fine then," Akira shouted. "My move. Gate Card, Set! Bakugan Brawl! Centipoid Stand!" Centipoid landed on the empty gate card, setting everything up for Alice to beat them.

"This is it," she whispered. "Gate Card, Set! Bakugan, Brawl! Hydranoid Stand!"

"HYDRANOID!" both Dan and Runo exclaimed.

And Hydranoid: 480 g's rose from the card. His two heads shot into the sky and his saw-like midsection was still. His two tails whipped around behind him as he rose. "I'm ready ," one head began. "To battle!" the other finished.

"How did you get—!" Dan was cut off by Runo.

"I knew it! I knew you were working for Masquerade! It was yo—!"

"Ability Activate! Dual Gazer!" The Bakupods all around collected data. "_Dual Hydranoid incread of 50 g's. Stablizing at 530 g's."_

"What good will that do?" Nene exclaimed. "No one's on the gate card!"

Alice looked at her with a smile. "This lets us attack two opponents from anywhere on the battlefield. Bye-bye." With that, Hydranoid fired two blasts that his both El Condor and Centipoid before returning to Alice.

"Where did you get—" Dan was interrupted by Runo.

"I _knew _it! You've been working for Masquerade all along! You've been telling him our moves and giving him advice on how to beat us! Admit it! You're the spy!" At Alice's silence, Runo growled. "Well, ADMIT IT!"

Alice turned away. "Dan…"

"I kinda want to know the answer myself. You're spying on us. Aren't You?"

"Look," Alice began, finally looking in their faces. "I don't want to have to explain this all again to the others. So can we just—"

"Others!" Runo asked, laughter in her tone. "There are no others. There's us." She motioned to Dan and herself. "And then there's _you."_ She hissed the last part at Alice, a finger jamming into Alice's chest. "You're not a brawler! We _trusted _you and you betrayed us! When this is over I don't want you anywhere near the brawlers or I'll end you." She pushed her hand in further, making Alice flinch backward.

At this, Hydranoid flew off Alice's shoulder and landed on Runo's finger. "Get. Your Hand. Off. Of. Her," the two voices menaced in unison. The sight of him made Runo flinch and pull her finger away.

"Now listen here," Hydranoid began. "Alice had no knowledge of the spy nor did she tell Masquerade anything."

"And why should _we _trust _you?_" Tigrerra asked, enunciating every word.

Without missing a beat, Hydranoid continued. "Because I'm telling the truth. If she was working with Masquerade, wouldn't she have set the Doom Card? That alone should tell you that she isn't his spy."

"If she was trying to trick us," Drago said from the field, "She wouldn't set it."

"And she wouldn't use me, either. Honestly, if she was a spy she wouldn't use the enemy's main bakugan, and she would have chosen a different attribute to use. You would be less likely to suspect a Haos brawler than a Darkus brawler. She has nothing to hide. Let her explain for everyone when this is over."

Silence filled the battlefield for a moment before Drago said "He's right Dan. Let's end this before we do anything else."

Dan looked at Drago, ready to argue, but instead let out a sigh. "Alright." He turned to Alice and said "This isn't over. You _will _explain everything when we're done."

"Bakugan," Nene called from across the field. "Brawl! Bee Striker, Stand!" Ventus Bee Striker landed on Tigrerra's gate card and their battle began.

"Gate Card! Open!" The bakupods' voices all said _"Bee Striker power increase to 410 g's_." With that occurring, Bee Striker began attacking Tigrerra with its tail. After a moment of this, Runo intervened.

"Ability Activate! Crystal Fang!" The bakupod collected the data and said "_Tigrerra power increase of 80 g's. Power stabilizing at 420 g's." _With that added, Tigrerra quickly eliminated Bee Striker before returning to Runo. Then, the gate card's second affect activated. Drago, the only other bakugan on the field, returned to a surprised Dan.

"The Field Breaker Command Card removes competition," Alice began. "When the battle's over all bakugan return to the players."

"Bakugan, Brawl! Tigrerra Stand!" Tigrerra landed on one of the only two available gate cards. With a suspicious chuckle, Shuji threw his Laserman onto the card.

"Gate Card, Open!" he yelled. "Level Down!" Tigrerra's strength suddenly dropped down to 240 g's.

"Oh no," Dan moaned. "It looks like you're on your own Runo."

"Hehe. Don't worry about it. I suspected that they'd do something like that. The Lightning Tornado card will do the job."

"Runo," Alice said. "Use the Haos Freeze card."

"What?" Runo said harshly. "Stay out of my game!"

"No, listen." Alice said. "The Haos Freeze card brings any battle to a standstill. And while time is stopped, any other bakugan can be added to the game. You can win this for us!"

"Runo," Dan said. "You're just going to have to trust Alice."

"But she's Dangerous!" Runo yelled.

"But she's right!" Dan countered. Runo fell silent before turning back to the battle. She was silent for a moment before seeing Shuji hold up his ability card.

In unison, they called out "Ability Activate!" Shuji yelled "Temporal Gust!" while Runo yelled "Haos Freeze!"

Suddenly, three bakugan all flew into the game. Ravenoid joined Laserman while both Drago and Hydranoid worked with Tigrerra.

_Ravenoid and Laserman combined power at 850 g's. Dragonoid, Hydranoid, and Tigrerra power at 1270 g's. Massive advantage to Tigrerra._

With the three bakugan in the game with such an overwhelming advantage, one blow each knocked out both Laserman and Ravenoid. Their deafeat caused the colors to begin to swirl once again and the world to revert back to normal.

When everything stopped spinning, Alice turned to Runo. "Thank you, for listening to me. When we get back to the café I'll be glad to tell you everything." Runo continued to glare though it had softened a bit from before. The three brawlers walked back to the café in silence, Dan and Runo contacting the others to meet them there.


	3. Chapter 3

**So now we have the explanations. The brawlers are together and here Alice's story. Enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own bakugan.**

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Alice, Dan, and Runo sat silently at a table in the café. The tension in the air was palpable as the three brawlers sat silently. Alice kept tapping her fingers erratically on the table surface, pointedly ignoring Runo. The bright blue haired girl kept shooting glares at Alice, not allowing the redhead to calm down. Dan sat next to Runo, nervously chewing on his bottom lip as he stared out the window.

On the table there was a standoff. Tigrerra and Drago were on one side and Hydranoid the other. Though their faces were expressionless, the anger coming from the former two bakugan could be felt by all.

The relief felt when the limo pulled up was universal. Marucho, a short blond boy with blue eyes hopped out first. He was quickly followed by Julie, a silver haired girl with purple eyes, and Shun, a black hair, green eyed boy. They all wore identical expressions of worry as the messages they received were quite severe.

As they entered the café, Julie's usual chirpy voice seemed false as she said "Hey guys. What's up?" She and they others pulled up a chair and their bakugan hopped onto the table. Subterra Gorem, Julie's bakugan, was the first to notice Hydranoid.

"What is this?" he said in his deep, echoing voice.

Aquos Preyas, Marucho's bakugan, noticed Hydranoid and went "Eeep! Somebody help! I don't wanna go to the Doom Dimension again." He started fake sobbing as he jumped onto Marucho's shoulder. Shun glared at Hydranoid. Skyress, Shun's bakugan, kept herself close to Shun's hands while never taking her eyes off of Hydranoid. Julie and Gorem weren't much better, though Julie mostly cringed away from the bakugan.

Shun looked up at Dan and said "What's he doing here?"

A cruel laugh was emitted from Runo. "Why don't you ask _Alice?"_

This turned everyone's gazes to the redheaded girl. She looked over all of their faces, from Runo's hate to Julie's question, and was suddenly relieved that the café was closed. Had it been opened, when they all started yelling at her, there would have been quite a few raised eyebrows.

"Okay," Alice began. "Just, please don't interrupt. I want this explanation over." At their nods, she began. "It all began the day Dan met Drago. That was the day that my grandfather was turned into Hal-G. You all remember in the video when he left the screen for a few moments and came back Hal-G?" They all looked around at each other before nodding at her. "Well, he left because I came."

"What?" Dan said for everyone.

"I had went to visit my grandfather. He had been there for a few hours and I wanted to say hi. I got there and we were talking when the dimensional transported he was working on exploded. The negative energy was released and he was turned into Hal-G…" Alice paused to draw in a breath. The suspense was peaking at her words. "And I was turned into Masquerade."

After that there was pandemonium. Dan and Marucho both yelled "_What?" _while Runo started yelling accusations at her. The bakugan's voices were also in the mix though they were indistinguishable. Julie had sucked in a huge gasp before letting out a shriek and Shun sat there with a shocked expression on his face.

Alice just sat there, letting them yell at her. She felt they deserved to hate her and she would let them. She stared down at the table, trying not to let the hurt show as she listened to everyone. As Dan and Marucho worked to calm everybody down, Runo wouldn't be placated.

"I KNEW YOU COULDN'T BE TRUSTED! ALL THIS TIME WE WERE _FRIENDS_ AND YOU WERE REALLY THE ENEMY! YOU'VE BEEN HELPING NAGA FROM THE START AND NOW I'M GONNA—!"

"RUNO!" Dan and Marucho yelled.

"_What?" _The blue haired girl seethed.

"The story does not appear to be over yet. I suggest that we listen to the entire thing before making judgments," Marucho said.

Runo scoffed, as if the idea was preposterous. "What more do we need to know? She lied to us and she's Masquerade."

"If you let her finish you might find out!" Dan yelled at her.

Though she didn't appear to like it, Runo plopped herself back into her chair. She grumbled to herself as everyone turned to Alice.

"So what happened net, Alice?" Marucho asked.

"Okay, first I want you to know that I didn't know any of that," Alice said hastily. "Usually it only happened at night. I would fall asleep and turn into Masquerade. Sometimes I might have blacked out in the middle of the day but it didn't happen often so I didn't think anything of it. I didn't remember anything that Masquerade did and I thought I was just asleep. If I did know then I would have tried to stop it."

Shun looked at her intently. "So how _did _you find out? It doesn't seem like you would just suddenly remember."  
Alice looked down again. "No, I didn't. You see…" and Alice went on to explain her encounter with Wavern. She told them how she met her and how she removed the negative energy from inside of her and brought back her memory. She told them about Naga appearing and separating Masquerade, turning him into his own person.

Dan looked at her, worry on his features. "So now Masquerade's out there 24/7? That's not good."

"I'm sorry. But when Masquerade came toward me for whatever reason, h froze in shock. Wavern also cleansed his bakugan and took the negative energy out of them. They weren't affected by Naga and they became mine. Then…Masquerade left.

"When Wavern left, I had a feeling. I don't know if it was the aftereffects of the Infinity Core or something else but I got the feeling that you guys were in trouble and needed my help. So, Hydranoid and I went to come find you. We got there just in time for the battle and…here we are."

The more of this she heard, the more Runo regretted her outbursts. She had been so suspicious of Alice, and when she found out she had Hydranoid, she just lost. She never even stopped to consider that something might have happened to Alice and she knew that all of this wasn't Alice's fault. She didn't do anything wrong but be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

That being said, Runo got to her feet and went over to Alice. Standing about a foot away from her, she said "Alice," her voice soft and repentant. "I'm so sorry for all the horrible things that I said to you. O had no right and…will you forgive me?"

Alice smiled up at Runo before saying "Of course. You had every right to be angry." She got up and pulled Runo into a hug. The two stood there for a moment before breaking apart. They smiled at each other before turning to the rest of the brawlers.

"So now we know that Masquerade is out there. He's on the run." Alice said this with a smile.

"And why," Drago said, "is that?"

With a giggle, Alice said "Wavern gave me all his bakugan. He's got to start from square one collecting. He doesn't have any others. We've got him on the ropes."

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"YOU FOOL!"

Naga was suspended in the Silent Core but the pulsating waves he emitted were enough to show how enraged he was. Masquerade continued to kneel, though he glanced upward from under the mask and cringed at the rage he saw.

"YOU LOST ALL OF YOUR BAKUGAN! Do you know how much time it took to get those bakugan? And how much time it took for Dual Hydranoid to evolve? Now all of that is for _NOTHING!_"

Hal-G stood silently off to the side, watching Masquerade get chastised with amusement. Now there was no question that he was the favorite for the two. Nobody that lost all their bakugan, no matter whose fault it was, could be the favorite.

"Ahh, you insolent fool." Naga's voice was dismissive and would have went well with a wave of a hand. "Yelling will teach you nothing! Take these." Three balls of glowing purple light shot out of the Silent core and fell into Masquerade's waiting hands.

"And you'll need a partner bakugan." Again, a light shone and out rolled a bakugan. As it landed in front of Masquerade, it popped open to reveal a Darkus bakugan.

"Take Battle Axe Vladitor into battle with you. He had already evolved so that shouldn't be a problem. Find the Infinity Core and eliminate the threats."

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**So that's my next chapter. What do you think of the explanations? Did I get the characters right? Was Naga vicious enough? Tell me your thoughts in reviews!**


	4. Chapter 4

**So I changed this episode around a bit. I needed Alice to fight the Doom Card. Oh well. Tell me what you think.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Bakugan**

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Alice walked through the park, enjoying the sunlight hitting her skin and the wind on her face. The people were all around her and the birds were chirping in the trees. A lake glistened down the hill below her and the sky reflected off of it beautifully.

Things had been so much better since the brawlers had heard her story. They might watch her when she wasn't looking, Julie and Runo, but they seemed to actually care about her. It wasn't as if they were looking for any spy behavior, they wanted to make sure she was okay. It was nice to have people care about her again. She hadn't had that since her grandfather disappeared.

"Isn't it a lovely day?" Alice asked, never looking anywhere but ahead of her. To an onlooker, she might have been talking to herself.

"Yes," Hydranoid replied from her shoulder. "The day here is beautiful. There is nothing like this in my home world."

"That's a shame," Alice said, shaking her head. "I can't imagine not ever having days like this."

"Well," Hydranoid said. "When you live in Darkus, you never know about this so you don't miss it. But you're right. It is sad that those in my home do not have this."

Alice chuckled slightly as she looked down toward the lake. Standing there, bakugan in hand, was a little boy with brown hair and overalls. He stood, facing the water stiffly.

"Oh, look. An up-and-coming brawler." Hydranoid turned in the direction of her gaze and said "Ah yes."

The smile on Alice's face slid off when she saw the boy raise his hand. Almost mechanically, Alice raced down the hill toward the boy. As she ran she picked up speed and cried "NO! Don't do it! Stoopp!" Alice lost control of herself and rammed straight into the boy. The force of the impact sent him hurtling into the water.

"Hey," the boy yelled, muffled by water. "What'd ya do that for? Get me outa here!"

Unnoticed by anyone, cloaked in the shadows of the trees above, a boy with blond spiked hair and a mask watched the scene with a twisted smirk on his face. Then, he vanished.

* * *

Travis smirked wickedly as the little twerp in front of him ran off. Toby had been easy to defeat. He only wished he could find a brawler worthy of his talents. All the punks around him could barely tell their bakugans' attributes.

"Looking for a _real_ challenge?" said a voice from behind him. He turned to see a guy with pointed blond hair and a mask. He wore a white trench coat and purple pants. He would have looked ridiculous had it not been for the smirk on his face.

"Yeah! What's it to ya?" Travis raised his fist as if to punch the mystery man. The guy's smirk widened and he took a step closer.

"I can get you a real challenge. All you gotta do is take out one, little brawler." He drew out every word at the end of his sentence. He held up his hand to show Travis a card. On it there was a picture of a skull-like dragon head. The Doom Card.

So this was Masquerade? Travis didn't think he looked that tough. Still, he wasn't about to lose any of his bakugan to the creep so he took the card.

"Deal. Now who is it?"

A slow, menacing laugh left Masquerade's lips. "Oh, just a redheaded girl I know…"

* * *

Alice sat on a park bench thoughtfully. Christopher was at her side and Hydranoid on her shoulder. She looked over the bakugan Christopher had and the cards that went along with them. Christopher didn't have the cards to play an offensive strategy so he would have to go for subtlety.

"You have great cards Christopher. Not many attack cards, but some decent ability cards that should get you through almost any battle."

"I agree," Hydranoid said from her shoulder. Christopher had quite a shock when Hydranoid first spoke but after a few moments he was in owe of the talking bakugan. "With proper strategies these cards could be lethal."

Christopher looked up from the ground. "You think so?" He had never thought of his cards as useful. They were not dangerous and he didn't see the use to them.

Alice nodded with a smile. "Of course. Like this: your Aquos Robotallion. It had a low power level. But if you hook it up with the Trap Census Command Card, it'll trick your opponent big time."

"Just remember," Hydranoid added, "Always stick to your Aquos abilities. You'll never succeed with abilities that don't match your attribute."

"I never really thought that there were so many ways to play bakugan." Christopher picked up his Juggernoid and studied its ball.

"Oh of course. There are so many ways to win. It all depends on your choices." Alice looked at Christopher and said "I can teach you a bunch of strategies but with no confidence then they're no use. You need to believe in yourself. We both know you love bakugan so now it's time to master the game."

"That little twerp? Please!"

Alice and Christopher both turned to see Travis about twenty feet away. He stood there with a smirk on his face and a gleam in his eyes as they zeroed in on Alice.

"Hey _Alice!_ Your buddy Masquerade sent me to give you a gift. Let's battle!" With that, he put up his hand, which she noticed had a launcher on it. In between his fingers was…

"The Doom Card! Why'd you take it?" Alice couldn't understand why anyone would want to get rid of bakugan.

"To get rid of you. Now let's battle!" He held up his card. "Field Open!"

"Field Open!" Alice said as she held up her card. The world swirled around her, colors mixing together. Christopher latched onto her arm and was pulled into the arena with her. As the world stopped spinning, Alice and Travis were on opposite sides of an arena.

"Gate Card…Set!"

Both of their gate cards sailed across the field and enlarged. Travis Threw the Doom Card and said "Doom Card…Set!" Black pulses radiated from where the Doom Card was set. "I'll start!" Travis yelled.

"Bakugan…Brawl!" He threw the bakugan and it sprang to life. "Darkus Mantris Stand!"

"_Darkus Mantris enters battle at 340 g's. No other data available."_

Alice looked intently at Mantris before nodding her head. "Gate Card…Set!" Alice's gate card sailed down to the spot next to the one Mantris was on. It grew to full size and Alice smiled slightly. She reached into her bag and pulled out the custom-made launcher Marucho got for her and put it on her arm.

She loaded her bakugan and said "Bakugan…Brawl! Tuskor Stand!" The giant elephant appeared on the card and trumpeted, ready for battle.

"_Darkus Tuskor enters battle at 350 g's. No other data available."_

"That's it?" Travis yells. "_That's_ your move? What a waste."

"I wasn't done," Alice said. "Ability Activate! Nose Slap! This ability let's my Tuskor attack any bakugan on an adjacent card without having to worry about their gate cards." Suddenly, Tuskor's trunk elongated and began whacking down on Mantris' gate card. After a few tries, it landed a hit on Mantris. The bakugan glowed bright purple before shooting onto the floor by Travis' feet. Tuskor then glowed purple and shot back into Alice's waiting hand.

"Wow, good move Alice. You took out his bakugan and his gate card all in one move. Smart." Christopher wished he could brawl like that.

Alice giggled slightly and said "Thanks."

"My move again," Travis yelled. "Bakugan Brawl! Fear Ripper Stand!" A giant humanoid figure with enormous claw-like hands stood on Alice's gate card.

"_Darkus Fear Ripper enters battle at 320 g's. no other data available._

Alice loaded her bakugan into the launcher and yelled "Bakugan Brawl! Centipoid Stand." A large centipede-like insect rose on the same gate card as Fear Ripper.

"_Darkus Centipoid enters battle with 370 g's. No other data available."_

"Ability Activate! Slash Zero! Ha! This ups my bakugan 80 g's. Your Centipoid's toast." A dark purplish glow surrounded Fear Ripper as it stalked toward Centipoid.

"_Darkus Fear Ripper power increase of 80 g's. Stabilizing at 400 g's. Advantage Fear Ripper."_

"Not so fast!" Alice countered. "Gate Card Open! Level Down!" The glow faded from Fear Ripper.

"That's impossible!" Travis cried in outrage. "How could you have known how to counter my Slash Zero?" Centipoid dove at Fear Ripper, taking him in his pincers and the bakugan glowed purple before falling to the floor at Travis' feet. Centipoid glowed and shot into Alice's waiting hand.

"That's _strategy!_ I figured you would use an ability card to boost your bakugan's power. It wasn't difficult to counter."

Though still grumbling, Travis threw down a gate card. "Gate Card…Set! Bakugan Brawl! Warius Stand!"

"_Darkus Warius enters battle at 350 g's. No other data available."_

There was wariness in Alice's gaze as she looked at the gate card. There was surely a trap there but she couldn't find a way out of the battle. So long as it wasn't a mind Ghost she was alright, and that was unlikely since he would lose his bakugan.

"Bakugan Brawl! Centipoid Stand!" The insect rose up. It swarmed onto Warius and began squeezing it with its pincers.

After a moment of this, Travis yelled "Gate Card Open! Character!"

"_Warius power surge to 700 g's. Centipoid remains stable at 370 g's."_

Suddenly, Warius had the upper hand and he began squeezing Centipoid. Finally, he threw Centipoid into the air and a large black hole appeared. It sucked Centipoid in and then closed while Alice cried "Centipoid, No!"

Travis laughed at Alice's distress and Alice turned her glare onto him. "You'll pay for that! Your move!"

Still chuckling, Travis said "Bakugan Brawl. Warius Stand!" The troll-like warrior rose up again and this time it stood on the only remaining card.

Alice pulled Hydranoid into her hand. "I need your help with this one."

Hydranoid sealed itself and said "It would be my pleasure."

"Gate Card…Set! Bakugan Brawl! Hydranoid Stand!" The two headed dragon rose up on the empty gate card. The occasionally rotating saw in his chest lied still and his two tails whipped around.

"_Darkus Hydranoid enters battle at 480 g's. No other data available."_

"What? Where did he get so much power?" Christopher looked on in shock. Alice was such a sweet and kind person. It seemed unbelievable that her partner bakugan could look so terrifying.

"Haha! It doesn't do anything! You're not on my gate card! You can't fight. So—"

"Ability Activate! Gazer Excedra!" A glow of Dark energy surrounded Hydranoid as he reared his head back. "Sorry Travis! This ability card ups Hydranoid by 100 g's and allows him to attack anywhere on the battlefield."

"WHAT!"

"_Hydranoid power surge to 580 g's. Warius remains stable at 350 g's."_

"Fire Hydranoid!" Alice yelled and the dragon started firing blasts of purplish electric energy balls at Warius. After the first one, Warius fell and landed at Travis' feet.

At the conclusion of the battle, Travis picked up his bakugan and ran. He didn't say a word to Alice of Christopher as he ran away with a shriek. Alice stared after him for a moment before turning to Christopher.

"So what'd you think?"

Christopher stared at her for a moment before uttering the only word he could think of. "AWSOME!" At that, Alice giggled and motioned for Christopher to walk with her up the hill.

"So you want me to keep teaching you?" Alice smiled as he spluttered.

"_Yes,_ of course. That would be awesome. I can't wait to learn how to battle like you do. That'll be amazing. Thank you _so _much Alice!" He was practically jumping up and down in his excitement and it made Alice giggle.

"Well why don't you come by my friend Runo's café at four. I'm finishing my shift tomorrow then. I'll teach you a little on my break. I've gotta go now. Bye!"

With that, Alice hurried in the direction of the café and left Christopher staring after her.

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**So how was it? I know Travis didn't work for Masquerade but I thought it needed to be done. Alice needed to lose some bakugan to the Doom Dimension and she had to face Masquerade's minion. So, this was how I did it.**

**Bad. Good. REVIEW!**


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